From the Horse's Mouth

by Deni Kasrel

If you had to tell a story about a past or current involvement with your chosen profession, what might that story be? And if said story can also illustrate something about your personal character, all the better. Got it? Now, whittle that tale down so that it takes no more than two minutes to tell.

That's essentially the charge to the cast of "From the Horse's Mouth."

The brainchild of Tina Croll and Jamie Cunningham, this concept piece has traveled to various cities, where 25 or so dancers share stories. Because it draws from the local pool of talent, "Horse's Mouth" is different wherever it goes, and in Philadelphia at least, it changed nightly with a slightly different cast for each performance. The premise remains the same throughout: One by one the dancers, dressed in black, sit on a chair and tell their tales, after which they move to a corner of the stage and improvise. When another dancer comes out to speak, the improvisers each move to a different corner, with one cycling off stage, so there are four at the corners plus the speaker at center. Sometimes one dancer moves to a different corner to duet with another, but that's the general gist. It's a basic format, but the result is quite revelatory. And not to dis the improv, but it's the stories that make this thing sing.

Paul Struck told about the time he created a piece for the Philadelphia Flower Show, where one of the organizers asked if Struck could blow bubbles out his ass. Gwendolyn Bye recalled how as a child she was thought to be a slow learner in school due to undiagnosed dyslexia, but her dance teachers knew better. Ariel Weiss Holyst humorously reminisced about taking a cheesy commercial job just for the easy money. Shoba Sharma recounted how not once, but twice, she endured accidents that prompted doctors to tell her she'd never dance again, but she proved 'em wrong both times.

There were surprises -- like the appearance of Trina Collins, former director of Danceteller, who left the city back in 1997 -- along with a marvelous variety in styles of movement.

Somewhat like a love-in, it seemed the dancers truly enjoyed the chance to improv with colleagues they don't normally work with. At the end, when the entire cast came out in costumes from former pieces or ones they always wanted to wear, a genuine sense of community filled the air.

From the Horse’s Mouth

Nov. 20-22, Painted Bride